Our pre-action protocol (PAP) letter to Cherwell District Council was sent on Tuesday 3 March 2026 by Ricky Gama, a partner at Leigh Day. Ricky led on the successful judicial review for Salt
Cross near Eynsham and has worked with
Feargal Sharkey on environmental issues.
The PAP letter is the first step towards a judicial review claim and it explains the reasons we believe the council's decision to approve the stadium planning application was unlawful. The
potential grounds relate to ancient woodland, protected species, traffic impacts and safety procedures. The letter calls on the council to quash the decision, although in
practice we know that is extremely unlikely. The council has been asked to respond by 17 March 2026.
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